 Towards the Mayor of London's Housing Strategy ( 73kb)
The Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) network is the largest independent network of free advice centres in Europe, providing advice from over 3,200 outlets, ranging from GPs’ surgeries, hospitals, community centres, county courts and magistrates courts, and mobile services both in rural areas and to serve particular dispersed groups.
Since 1990 Shelter and Citizens Advice, with government backing, have worked together through the National Homelessness Advice Service (NHAS) ‘to ensure that people have the information and advice they need to avoid or escape from homelessness' by complementing existing Citizens Advice Bureau services through provision of specialist support on homelessness and housing issues.
The service has two equal aims:
- to ensure that individuals do not suffer through lack of knowledge of their rights and responsibilities or of the services available to them, or through an inability to express their needs effectively;
- and equally, to exercise a responsible influence on the development of social policies and services, both locally and nationally.
Citizens Advice welcomes the Mayors new powers in the key area of housing, which are:
- the Mayor will prepare and publish a statutory Housing Strategy for London and a Strategic Housing Investment Plan, setting out the priorities to meet the housing needs of all Londoners
- the Mayor will decide the broad distribution of the affordable housing part of the ‘regional housing pot’ in line with the Strategy. In short, the Mayor will decide how public money for new affordable housing will be spent.
These will compliment his stronger planning powers, which will ensure that borough development applications are in conformity with the Mayor’s London Plan.
The separate 32 borough system in London has for a long time caused problems for many of our clients. London boroughs will often attempt to deny responsibility to clients seeking access to housing. In 2005/06 London CAB received 50,167 enquiries relating to housing and an additional 21,475 enquiries relating to housing benefit.
In addition the borough system, with its resulting ongoing housing shortages, is not the most appropriate mechanism for addressing the planning challenges of a modern city such as London. The root cause of many of the housing problems that CAB clients experience can be attributed in a large part to London’s housing shortages and the resulting problems of affordability that this causes. London as a region has a desperate need for more social housing. We support the Mayors target for 50% social housing, with 70% for rent, and we welcome the new powers to ensure that borough development plans and the strategic development plan are in conformity.
Towards the Mayor of London's Housing Strategy ( 73kb)
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